Even six weeks without playing competitive football does not appear to be enough to put Erling Haaland off his stride. Since the return of English domestic football following the World Cup, the Norwegian goal machine has already scored three times in two matches, including his 19th and 20th Premier League goals in Manchester City’s 3-1 triumph over Leeds United on Wednesday. Erling Haaland is on track to break the Premier League scoring record after 15 games the news of the day.
Erling Haaland is on track to break the Premier League scoring record after 15 games.
Haaland has hit the 20-goal mark in just 15 appearances, putting him on track to break Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s Premier League scoring record of 34. However, that joint record was set when a season consisted of 42 games. Mo Salah holds the record for most goals scored in a 38-game season, with 32 in 2017-2018. If Haaland scores at his current rate, the 22-year-old will achieve a mind-boggling 50 Premier League goals this season.
Haaland’s 20 Premier League goals have come in 14 appearances despite missing City’s encounter against Leicester City in November due to injury, earning him the Premier League’s fastest player to reach the milestone. Shearer, who holds the all-time Premier League goals record with 260, told Amazon Prime after Wednesday’s game that he now expects Haaland to score at least 40 goals this season and that his record is in jeopardy if the Norwegian international continues to play in English football.
Even if Haaland scored 50 goals, he would fall short of English football’s all-time top-flight record. That honour goes to the late Everton striker Dixie Dean, who scored 60 goals in just 39 appearances during the 1927-28 season. City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters after the win against Leeds that Haaland is still not at his best – so 60 goals aren’t absolutely out of the question.
